No competency hearing for inmate who stabbed Derek Chauvin

A federal judge ruled that John Turscak, the inmate charged with the attempted murder of Derek Chauvin, will not receive a psychiatric competency hearing before his February 2027 trial. Judge James Soto found Turscak has shown no signs of incompetency, noting he has conducted himself appropriately in hearings and filed coherent motions citing applicable law.

Turscak stabbed Chauvin, the former officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, 22 times the day after Thanksgiving 2024, telling investigators he chose the date and target deliberately for symbolic reasons. He has cycled through representing himself, requesting counsel, and losing that counsel to withdrawal multiple times over the case's history.

Records show Turscak has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and has reported depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, but has never been prescribed antipsychotic medication and shows what the Bureau of Prisons calls sustained psychological stability. Soto ruled that even strong evidence of mental illness isn't enough without a clear connection to an inability to understand the proceedings, and promoted Turscak's advisory counsel to standby status in case that changes.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.